Drive for selvedge forming mechanisms



Aug. 13, 1968 V. SCHERILLO DRIVE FOR SELVEDGE FORMING MECHANISMS FiledMay 10. 1966 INVENTOR [47 /000 JP/ew/ ATTORNEY United States Patent3,396,754 DRIVE FOR SELVEDGE FGRMING MEfIHANlSMS Vittorio Scherillo,Florence, Italy, assignor to Nuovo Pignone S.p.A., Florence, Italy, anItalian company Filed May 10, 1966, Ser. No. 548,979 Claims priority,application Italy, May 15, 1965, 10,932/65 9 Claims. (Cl. 139-54)ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A control device for operating the selvedgemechanism of a shuttleless loom of the type having a crankshaft whichrotates once per pick, has a drive shaft, a driven shaft which operatesthe selvedge mechanism each time it is rotated, a first gear train fordriving said driven shaft at the same speed as said crankshaft, a Genevadrive interposed between said drive and driven shafts and operative tointermittently drive a further gear train on alternate revolutions ofsaid crankshaft, and means for selectively coupling said driven shaft tosaid first and second gear trains, respectively, to insert one selvedgeloop for each pick, or for each alternate pick, respectively.

This invention relates to a device for controlling mechanisms for theformation of selvedges on a shuttleless loom in which weft threads,coming out of fixed bobbins placed outside the fabric, are brought intoopposite sides of the shed by inserting needles and, more particularly,to a loom fitted with weft inserting and traction needles.

T 0 this end, an independent thread, coming out of a threads inshuttleless looms generally require that the selvedge of the fabric bestrengthened so that the warp threads, which are near the selvedge, arenot laterally shifted, and so that the selvedge may offer the resistancewhich is necessary for the subsequent processing steps.

To this end, an independnt thread, coming out of a bobbin placed outsidethe fabric, is inserted in the form of a loop in the open warp shed andis picked together with the weft. A binding is thus formed between theweft threads on the two sides of the fabric, this binding be ing such asto replace the conventional selvedge.

The device for the formation of such a selvedge consists of a mechanismcomprising two needles, one which carries the selvedge sewing threadinto the fabric shed, and is called the inserting needle, and the otherwhich holds said thread so as to form a loop until the weft is beaten upand a loop is thus permanently formed. The latter needle is called thetakeup needle.

The formation of such a selvedge, performed by inserting an additionalthread, thus involves the necessity of providing a mechanism to form aselvedge loop for each principal weft, or for each two principal wefts,consistently with the articles being woven. Such mechanism might suiteither method, bearing in mind, above all, the necessity of avoiding anythickening of the fabric edges.

Said mechanism must thus be such as to cause the inserting and takeupneedles to enter action at every pick or every two picks of the loom. Anobject of the present invention is to provide a device for controllingthe introduction, either continuous or alternate, of the binding threadinto the selvedge by a mechanism which allows either a continuous oralternate movement of the two inserting and takeup needles, alsopermitting a rapid change between the two kinds of insertion.

The inventive device is detailedly illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings which show but an exemplary embodiment thereof. Mechanicalequivalents, adapted to 3,396,754 Patented Aug. 13, 1968 produce themovements and the gearing of said device lie within the scope of thisinvention.

FIGURE 1 is a fragmentary lengthwise sectional view of the controldevice made according to one embodiment of this invention.

FIGURE 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 1-818 of thedevice shown FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view illustrating schmaticall-y andfragmentarily one type of loom with which this invention is particularlyadapted to be used.

The device comprises a housing 30 having an integral bracket 31 forbolting or otherwise securing the housing to the breast beam of ashuttleless loom adjacent one end thereof. Journaled in a conventionalmanner in housing 30 to rotate about an axis parallel to the loom breastbeam is a rotatable shaft 3, one end of which extends through a centralpartition 32 in housing 33. Shaft 3 is actuated by the looms crankshaft,not shown in the drawing, by means of a couple of intermeshed bevelgears 1 and 2, solid with said crankshaft, and with shaft 3,respectively. The shaft 3 rotates in turn, the gear 4, which is keyed tothe shaft 3. From the gear 4 the drive is transferred to the planetarygear 5, which is keyed to the shaft '6, and, therefrom, to the gear 7,which is idly mounted on the shaft 8. Shaft 8 is rotatably journaled atone end in housing 30 beneath shaft 3, and extends at its opposite endalong the loom breast beam 29.

The gear 7 carries the pin 9, which is engaged in the slot 20 in theentraining ring 10 which is keyed to the shaft 8 by means of a key 22for rotation with shaft 8, and for limited axial reciprocation thereon.The shaft 8, which is passed through the inside of the breast beam,controls, via conventional gearing, selvedge-forming mechanisms 34 and36 (FIG. 3), which may be of the type shown, respectively in mycopending applications Ser. Nos. 548,942, filed May 10, 1966 and558,185, filed May 6, 1966; and since shaft 3 is rotated once each timea weft is picked, and since the number of teeth on the gears 4, 5 and 7are identical, then by means of the transfer arrangement just nowdescribed wherein pin 9 is in slot 20 of ring it), the shaft 8 will makea complete revolution at every pick of the loom.

In the case where alternate selvedge loop insertion is desired, whereinthe selvedge mechanisms are to be actuated on alternate picks of theloom, the drive of the gear 4 is transferred gear 5 to the gear 11, thelatter gear being solidly aflixed to the planetary gear 5. The gear 11transfers its own drive to the spur gear 12, which has a number of teethtwice that of the gear 11 and is idle on the shaft -3. The gear 12 issolid with the hub of a wheel 13, also rotatably mounted on the shaft 3.Wheel 13 carries two pins 14 that are angularly spaced apart degreesfrom one another.

The portion of the wheel 21 between opposite the pins 14 is a -degreehalf circle, which forms the motionlocking member for the Geneva wheelor Maltese cross 15.

Said wheel 13 will be rotated at a speed which is one half of that ofthe shaft 3. On the shaft 6 is rotatably mounted the four-slot Maltesecross 15 onto which the gear 16 is keyed.

In its movement, the gear 13 brings the pins 14 successively inconventional manner into driving engagement with the slots of theMaltese cross 15 thus causing the latter to be rotated through 180degrees for each revolution of the gear 13. During the otherhalfrevolution, the semi-circular portion 21 of the gear 13 slides inconventional manner over one of the four circular arcuate recesses 24formed in the Maltese cross, and prevents any motion thereof during the180 degree path in which the pins 14 do not engage the slots, thusmaintaining an exact positioning of the slots of the Maltese cross sothat,

at the subsequent revolution, the pins 14 are enabled exactly to meetsaid slots.

The gear 16, which rotates with the Maltese cross, transfers its owndrive to the gear 17, which has half the number of teeth of 16 and whichis rotated idly on the shaft 8 for controlling the selvedge-formingmechanisms. Gear 17 carries a pin 19. When ring 10 is shifted axially onshaft 8 to the right from the position shown in FIG. 1, pin 9 isdisengaged from the slot and pin 19 is engaged with this slot. Ring 11in such instance, is then rotated by pin 19 one revolution on eachalternate revolution of the loom crank shaft. Manual or any suitablemeans may be employed to shift the ring 111 axially from one to theother of its positions on shaft 8.

When pin 19 is engaged with ring 10, the gear 17 will remain atstandstill for a revolution of the loom crankshaft whereas it will gothrough a complete revolution of 360 degrees during the next revolutionof the crankshaft.

Thus, whenever an alternate introduction in the selvedge-formingmechanism is required, the entraining ring 10 only needs be displaced soto cause the slot 20, formed in the ring 10, to come into registry withthe pin 19 jutting from the extension of the gear 17.

Summing up, the displacement of the entraining ring 10 gives rise to thedesired type of selvedge weft insertion. Applicants novel drive devicethus forms an extremely compact and relatively inexpensive drive foroperating the several selvedge devices 34 and 36, that are driven fromthe single shaft 8. This considerably reduces the overall cost of a loomof the type illustrated in FIG. 3; and also this device eases theselection of different types of selvedges.

The type of alternate insertion indicated above can. also be obtainedwith mechanisms which are equivalent to those indicated. For example,the entraining ring could be a suitably shaped sleeve. In the case of analternate insertion, the device affords the advantage, which isremarkable, that the needles need not be actuated during the revolutionof the shaft in which the selvedge is not to be sewn.

By so doing, unnecessary stresses are avoided for the selvedge threadsand broken threads, or displacement of previously inserted threadintroduced in the form of a loop in the weft picked with the recedingstroke, are also avoided.

The adoption of the Maltese cross further permits movements devoid ofsudden accelerations and decelerations for the rotation of the transfershaft 8, thus avoiding breakage of the selvedge binding threads.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. A control device for the selvedge-forming mechanism of a shuttlelessloom of the type having a crankshaft, which rotates one revolution foreach pick of the loom, comprising a drive shaft,

a driven shaft,

means for driving said driven shaft from said drive shaft continuouslyat the same speed as the drive shaft, means for intermittently drivingsaid driven shaft from said drive shaft, and

means for selectively coupling said two drive means to said drivenshaft.

2. A control device as defined in claim 1, wherein said drive shaft isconnected to said crankshaft for rotation thereby one revolution perrevolution of said crankshaft,

said driven shaft is operative each time it is rotated one revolution toactuate said selvedge-forming mechanism,

an idler shaft is interposed between said drive and driven shafts,

said driving means comprises a pair of rotatable members on said drivenshaft, and including first means connecting one of said members to saiddrive shaft for rotation thereby at the same speed as said drive shaft,

second means connecting the other of said members to said drive shaftfor rotation thereby intermittently during rotation of said drive shaft,and

said coupling means includes means for releasably and selectivelysecuring one of said members to said driven shaft selectively to drivesaid driven shaft intermittently and non-intermittently.

3. A control device as defined in claim 2, wherein a first gear issecured on said drive shaft,

a second gear is secured on said idler shaft and meshing with said firstgear,

said one member is a third gear rotatable on said driven shaft andmeshing with said second gear to be rotated thereby during rotation ofsaid drive shaft,

a fourth gear is rotatable on said idler shaft,

means is interposed between said drive and idler shafts intermittentlyto rotate said fourth gear, and

said other member is a fifth gear rotatable on said driven shaft andmeshing with said fourth gear for intermittent rotation thereby.

4. A control device as defined in claim 3, wherein said means betweensaid drive and idler shafts comprises a slotted Geneva wheel rotatableon said idler shaft and fixed to said fourth gear,

a cooperating wheel rotatable on said drive shaft and having thereon aplurality of angularly spaced pins drivingly engageable with slots insaid Geneva wheel intermittenly to rotate the latter,

a sixth gear secured to said cooperating wheel, and

a seventh gear secured to said idler shaft and meshing with said sixthgear to transfer the rotation of said drive shaft to said further wheel.

5. A control device as defined in claim 3, wherein said coupling meanscomprises a pair of pins which are secured to the confronting ends ofsaid third and fifth gears, respectively, and

a ring mounted on said driven shaft for rotation therewith, and foraxial reciprocation between said third and fifth gears, between a firstposition in which one of said pins is engaged in a slot in said ring tocouple its associated gear thereto, and a second position in which theother of said pins is engaged in said slot.

6. A control device as defined in claim 3, wherein said first, secondand third gears have the same number of teeth.

7. A control device as defined in claim 4, wherein said fifth andseventh gears, respectively, have one half the number of teeth of saidfourth and sixth gears, respectively.

8. A control device as defined in claim 4, wherein said Geneva wheel hastherein four of said slots equiangularly spaced from one another, and

said cooperating wheel has thereon two of said pins angularly spacedfrom one another.

9. A control device as defined in claim 4 wherein said Geneva wheel hasin its periphery a plurality of arcuate concave recesses, and

said cooperating wheel has thereon an axially extending, arcuate flangeslidable in said recesses intermittently to secure said Geneva wheelagainst rotation.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,625,833 1/1953 Johnson 74-4363,181,568 5/1965 Dewas 139-122 3,307,593 3/1967 Neumann 139-122 HENRY S.JAUDON, Primary Examiner.

